Salsa de Chile Habanero (Habanero Hot Sauce)

This weekend I went to go visit my good friend Shantall and helped her with her yard. It was fun (because I'm a dork like that) we went to the out skirts of the San Fernando Valley to get "horse manuer" to fertilize the soil. It was hilarious the truck used to drive us up there was literally over a huge mountain of horse doo-doo ha ha. (Yes yes not what a typical teenager would do on his weekends for fun.)

Anyways, towards the end of the day after some yard work, talking, biking and lots of wonderful food and fun I she gave me a small bag with Habanero peppers from her yard.

I was wondering, "What should I do with them?" I was even thinking of adding 1 habanero pepper to a Cuban dish and see what happens since it tastes like a very spicy green bell pepper. (No kidding I've had them raw with food, I take little nibbles and eat along with my food) Well after some thinking and reading other's opinions on a forum I decided to make a spicy Mexican hot sauce.

For those that haven't heard of these peppers they are claimed to be the most "spiciest" pepper in the world. Along with a Scotch Bonnet (both from the same species)

I highly recommend this sauce, it has the flavor of a crisp, sweet bell pepper with strong heat, although for me the sauce isn't so hot it's hot but can be consumed fine. (My mother actually makes hotter sauces combining lot's of dry "Chile de Arbol" peppers and "Chipotles in Adobo" those will burn stronger)

Ingredients:
-9 Habanero Chili Peppers
-20 small to medium Tomatillos (about 1 1/2 pounds)
-4 cloves of garlic (skin left on)
-1 medium onion minced
-1/2 a bunch of cilantro washed trimmed and minced
-1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
-1/2 cup water (more or less)
-1 tablespoon white vinegar (optional this is only added to make it last longer)

Directions:
(1)In a large griddle covered with aluminum foil grill the tomatillos, habaneros, and garlic until blackened on both sides and they release some liquid and it evaporates. Now set aside and let it cool so you can handle with your hands.

(2)Once cooled remove as much of the black charred parts as you can, add to a blender or food processor. Now add salt, and a little water (only enough to blend not to water down a bunch JUST TO BLEND)


(3)Now set in a bowl and stir in minced cilantro and onion, taste for salt and more if needed and if desired stir in vinegar (typically vinegar is only added to red sauces not green we didn't add it but it's your choice)


NOTE:
-If you cannot find "tomatillos" in your area you may substitute them for regular fresh tomatoes (preferably roma).
-This is to be used as a condiment, you add a little bit to your food when eating to make it more spicy/ give it a kick.
-I had some unripe one's in my fridge from the last time I recieved some Okra, there was unripe Habaneros which are still pretty damn good :)

Chile y Ajo En Aciete (Chili Garlic Paste)

This is my mother's friend's recipe whom is Mexican and lives in San Francisco. She loves spicy food, so she makes this really spicy blend of dry chili peppers, garlic, and olive oil which she carries in tiny glass bottles wherever she goes so she can add a little flame to whatever she's eating. She brought a large jar of this spicy concoction when she came down here to Los Angeles to visit her elderly mother and my mother LOVED it and has been in love with this sauce since our last visit from San Fran., so she finally decided to ask for the recipe.

Let me tell you, it is delicious, smokey, has hints of sweet garlic, and spiciness. You must like heat to appreciate this and once you make it, it can last for a long time (probably up to 6 months stored in a tight class container or whatever you have on hand: jar, glass bottle, glass bowl sealed well, Tupperware, etc.) You can leave it out, covered, on the table with tiny metal spoons as well for convenience.

You can use this as a condiment by adding a couple teaspoons or tablespoons to any meat stew or soup to give a smokey, slow cooked, robust spicy flavor. You can put a little on your food when eating the same way you would use a hot sauce. You can use it for every bite you eat as well! It could also be incorporated into marinades or even in Chinese stir fries that call for Chili Garlic Paste. Really, it can be used for so many things. Use your imagination.

Ingredients:
-3 oz/85 grams of Chile Japones" (Dried Japanese Chiles, my mother used a medium bag, which is about 3 cups maybe? It had the ounces and grams written on it.)
-1 head of garlic (separate the cloves, peel them, and take off the tough bottom part)
-1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (a.k.a. E.V.O.O.)
-3/4-1 tablespoon salt (to taste, remember it's suppose to be a little salty because it's not meant to be eaten by the spoonfuls ha ha even though I do eat it that way sometimes!)
-1 tablespoon white vinegar (to make it last longer)

Directions:
(1) If the dry chiles have stems then remove them. DO NOT WASH THEM IN WATER!!! Or just don't bother to make this! :)

(2) Heat the olive oil on medium heat until it's hot enough. Add the garlic cloves and stir them around until they are golden. Then add the dry chiles and stir them over and over again the until garlic is slightly browned on the outside and the chiles are toasted to a slightly darken color. DO NOT let them blacken completely or you'll have a bitter flavor. My mom lowered the temperature to medium low as she was doing this. The point of tossing the chiles and garlics over and over again is so that the garlic does not stick to the pot and trust me, when it sticks, it STICKS!!! This process takes about 10-15 minutes and once they are ready, take them off the heat for them too cool a bit before putting them in the food processor or blender.
(3) Add all the contents into a food processor or blender along with the vinegar and salt using a food processor. If you use a blender, you'll need to stop every now and then and stir or push with a spoon because of the sauce's thickness.

(4) Your done! Store well by sealing it. It can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge. Enjoy! You'll want to make more

P.S. I don't even know what to name this exactly. My mother's friend never used a specific name, it was just "El chile en aciete" which translates to "The chile in oil." For me, it's just a "Chile Garlic Paste." Sort of a little looser, but yeah, call it whatever you want :)

ALSO, you may use "Chile de Arbol" (Dried Arbol Chile Peppers) but my mother prefers using "Chile Japones" (Dried Japanese Chile Peppers) because she says, "No ay que quitarles la cola ni nada" which translates to, "You don't have to remove the tail/stems." The "Chile de Arbol" translates to "Chile of Tree."

Edited by: Travis Thi

Salsa de Chile de Arbol (Chile de Arbol Hot Sauce)

There are SO MANY types and way's of making a hot sauces in Mexico. Every individual who cooks usually does it different.
This sauce is a light red. It is mildly spicy (to me) and this is my mom's way of making this hot sauce.

Ingredients:

-½ cup about a HUGE palm full of dry "chile de arbor" peppers. Remove it's tail.
-10 medium Tomatillos diced if they are big. One may use the more expensive and superior "Tomatillo Milpero" which is a really tiny berry like version of the tomatillo.
-1 canned in adobo Chipotle pepper
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-Some chicken bouillon to taste (optional but we use it it's like our MSG)
-Water
-White distilled vinegar
-Cooking oil (traditionally lard or corn oil are the only cooking oils in Mexican cooking but the Cuban /Spaniard and health conscience in me makes me do most things with EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL when possible If Im not cooking with extremely high wok cooking heat or deep frying you bet I will use extra-virgin olive oil)

Directions
-Heat a generous amount oil on medium in any type of pan and toast the red chilies until well they look toasted but not BLACK set aside and throw in the blender

-Add tomatillos season with salt and pepper and let them sit stirring occasionally until they release their juices and look cooked (about 5-10 minutes.) PLEASE NO HIGH HEAT! Then set aside and throw in blender


-Add about 1 teaspoon or more to taste chicken bouillon in the blender
-Add 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo
-Turn on the blender and only add enough water to let everything blend. DON'T ADD TO MUCH WATER YOU WANT IT KINDA THICK! NOT WATERED DOWN AND POOR LOOKING.

-Heat oil in a pan again and poor the blended content you may add a teeny bit of water to the blender with some water to get all the sauce out.
-Bring to a boil on medium heat
-Add a splash of vinegar.

-Stir and then turn of heat, put in a bowl and it's down. Store in a container or in bowl with plastic wrap.

Note:
-The VINEGAR is ESSENTIAL the VINEGAR is meant to keep it from SPOILING it can last about 1-2 weeks in the fridge.
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Guacamole (Mexican Avocado Mash)

I think most people know what Guacamole is. Here I will show you how my mother taught me to make it. I like this way best especially for spreading on "Tostadas"

Ingredients
-4-6 ripe small or medium Hass Avocadoes (cut in half, flesh removed, save the seeds)
-Juice of 2-3 freshly squeezed limes
-1 teaspoon or more salt to taste
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon black ground pepper
-2 roma tomatoes diced into small cubes
-¼ onion diced into small cubes
-½ cup cilantro minced
-2-4 Serrano chili peppers minced finely into super tiny pieces (optional)

Directions
-Mash the avocado in a large bowl with a fork to a puree. Add lime juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well/
-Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and bury on top the avocado seeds to preserve freshness of Guacamole.

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Salsa de Chile Verde (Green Spicy Sauce)

There are a couple different ways to make this/ methods. One you grill/roast the chilies and tomatillos then mash in a "Molcajete" (a type of portar and pestle) with salt,
two you sautee the whole chilies and the tomatillos in generous amounts of oil and then blend in a blender with water and salt,
three you roast chilies and tomatillos, blend them with some water in a blender with salt and garlic then toss it with minced onion and cilantro.
I use the SUPERIOR "Tomatillo Milpero" which is a really tiny berry version of "Tomatillos" it is superior in taste and makes a better sauce it is also more expensive sometimes to expensive for our budget so we end up using regular large "Tomatillos" but this time we bought "Tomatillo Milpero"
Today I did it the third way which is my preferred way.

Ingredients
-6-7 Serrano Chilies
-2 cups "tomatillo milpero"
-1 clove garlic
-½ cup minced cilantro
-¼ of a minced onion
-salt to taste about 1-2 teaspoons
-some water to help blend sauce not to much

Directions:
-Cover a griddle top with aluminum foil and heat on medium. Or simply use a pan and cover with top with some foil for easy clean up later (TRUST ME BECAUSE YOU WILL END UP WITH HARD TO REMOVE BLACK CRUST ON THE PAN OR GRIDDLE IF YOU DON'T)
-Lay the tomatillos and Serrano chilies until blackened and roasted set aside

-Remove the black parts from the chilies with a wet towel or napkind. Remove the chilies tops

-Throw in a blender with one peeled garlic clove and salt to taste with a small amount of water, blend to a sauce

-Pour in a bowl

-Mix in the cilantro and onion and you are done.